Joe Root is England's key man, but there’s work to do if he’s to succeed Cook as captain

Contributor: Joe Root has played just 19 Tests for England yet has already battled in each of the top seven positions

With Alastair Cook failing and Ian Bell ailing, England are starting to rely increasingly on a cheeky, chirpy cricketer from Yorkshire to get to the Root of their batting difficulties.

At 23, Joe Root has experienced more in his 19 Tests than many players on triple that number. He has opened the batting and filled every position in the middle order. He tasted Ashes victory and Ashes defeat in the space of five months. He has been dropped, recalled, tipped for the captaincy and punched by Australia’s archetypal bad boy, David Warner.

More importantly, he suddenly looks the key player in this faltering team, one of the few whose spirits are high enough, and mind strong enough, to drag England out of this trough.

England approach the Third Investec Test at Southampton, which starts on Sunday, 1-0 down in the five-match series against India and without a win in 10 Tests.

Whereas many of the veterans of the 5-0 Ashes whitewash look broken, Root seems to have been galvanised. In Tests this summer he averages 98.40, including a double century and an innings of 154, both of which were unbeaten.

Just subtly, Root’s demeanour off the field has changed, too. Last summer he was quickly one of the gang, happy to lark around with ‘Swanny’ (Graeme Swann) and ‘Jimmy’ (Anderson) but reticent to the point of being monosyllabic in his dealings with the media.

This year he seems a more serious, mature character who has been willing to criticise publicly when public criticism has been needed, and who has embraced greater seniority.

New faces such as Gary Ballance, Moeen Ali, Liam Plunkett and Sam Robson have all performed well at times against Sri Lanka and India, perhaps inspired by the work of Root.

Memorable Test matches between England and India

Memorable Test matches between England and India

1/7
1971 - The Oval

For the first time ever, India won a Test match on English soil. Fans surged onto the pitch in celebration before the winning shot had even crossed the boundary.

2/7
1976 - Delhi

Captain Tony Greig masterminded England's first victory in India since the Second World War. It remains one of England's greatest performances against the Indians.

3/7
1980 - Mumbai

Ian Botham stole the show in a one-off Test in Mumbai, taking 6 for 58 and 7 for 48, as well as adding 114 with the bat.

4/7
1993 - Mumbai

After a strong first innings of the third Test of England's 1992-93 tour of India, The hosts hit back with force. Vinod Kambli's 224 went a long way to helping India claim the Test by an innings and 15 runs, completing a 3-0 series whitewash.

5/7
2007 - Trent Bridge

After staving off defeat in the first Test at Lord's on the final day, India turned up at Trent Bridge and produced one of their finest performances on English soil. Sachin Tendulkar top-scored with 91 as the tourists posted 481 to wrestle control of the match in their first innings. The Indians eventually won the Test by seven wickets on the final day. The result would prove decisive as India went on to win the three-match series.

6/7
2008 - Chennai

Tendulkar was again the hero as India successfully chased a monumental target to win by six wickets. The little master hit 103 not out as the hosts chalked up the 387 runs needed for victory. It remains the highest fourth-innings Test total ever recorded in Chennai and ranks among the highest successful fourth-innings chases ever.

7/7
2011 - Edgbaston

Alastair Cook hit 294 as England made 710 - 7 declared - their third-highest Test total ever. Big knocks from Andrew Strauss and Eoin Morgan also helped the cause after the hosts had bowled out the Indians for just 224. England eventually won by an innings and 242 runs before Tea on day four.

He is closer in age to most of the new men but also has a clear link to Cook, Bell, Anderson and Stuart Broad, pillars of a wonderful era that is now part of the past.

In this grim period of transition, England hope Root can be the pioneer, leading the team out of one cycle and into a better one. If he can do so and eventually become captain, so much the better.

And yet. Those who promote Root’s candidacy to succeed Cook (he belongs, incidentally, to the ISM management stable run by influential agent Andrew ‘Chubby’ Chandler) should remember that his experience of top-level leadership is virtually non-existent.

When he captained Yorkshire against Middlesex at Lord’s in April, the home side chased down a record 472 in the fourth innings. While that was a freak result, it is hardly likely to be at the top of Root’s CV.

The Yorkshireman’s supporters are also troubled by an apparent weakness against the full delivery, born of a preference to stay on the back foot. On quicker pitches, too, he has sometimes looked ill at ease.

Then there is his behaviour on the field. A tough, competitive streak is welcome; indiscriminate sledging perhaps less so. There is no doubt that Root winds up opponents, almost as much as Anderson does. He got under the skin of the Australians and already this summer there have been verbal clashes with Angelo Mathews, the Sri Lanka captain, and Ishant Sharma, the India seam bowler.

If Root were in his late 20s or early 30s, such traits would be worrying. As he does not turn 24 until December 30, we can all relax a little. Most people change a great deal between the ages of 23 and 29. Root is quick to learn and has time to smooth over the technical kinks in his batting. His sharp mind should also serve him well as he progresses through his international career, enabling him to absorb and evaluate the lessons that can help him develop as a leader.

Perhaps Root does need to grow up a little, but so what? Which of us didn’t at 23?

Here is an insight into his character: when he walked into an England dressing room stuffed with strong personalities (Swann, Anderson, Broad and Kevin Pietersen), his youthful appearance soon made him the butt of jokes. But he was happy to play along with them until, when he felt the ribbing had crossed a line, he did not hesitate to tell his senior team-mates to pack it in.

It might seem an everyday tale, but it is proof that there is steel behind Root’s smile. Not everyone can enter a new environment, assess the situation and then have the confidence to tell popular, forceful colleagues to shut it. To use a cricketing term, Root worked out the conditions and played himself in.

This is exactly what he has been doing against Sri Lanka and India this summer.

Forget the irritating manner on the field or the technical difficulties; just admire the cricketer and look at the potential. Goodness knows England need a few more like Joe Root.